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Today is dedicated to Romance so why not engage in a bit of swashbuckling reminiscing? Do you remember the thrill of old time pirate movies and swashbucklers such as Errol Flynn, or maybe more recently Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean – it was the sight of those full-masted sailing ships (okay, and the handsome men who captained them) that sent a girlish romantic shiver up my spine. You can get that thrill in early May when Savannah welcomes “Tall Ship Challenge 2012, Atlantic Coast” from May 3 to May 7. As many as 15 of these Class A, B and C ships will race to a buoy in the ocean on May 3 and then gather so they can enter the port together under full sail – an unbelievably impressive site. Most of these vessels will then berth on both sides of the Savannah Riverfront and leave for the next leg of the race on May 7.

The very idea of viewing these full rigged ships sailing into our harbor is beyond our ability to articulate. We will be the first in line to board the ships (a pittance at $10 per person), but even more, we have our heart set on the decided thrill of a two- or three-hour sail in the waters off our coast (not nearly a king’s ransom at $50).

We have the Savannah Riverfront Association to thank for six years of hard work with Tall Ships America, the organization that operates the Tall Ships Challenge, (an annual race which rotates among the Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Coast and the Great Lakes) for bringing this event to our city. These ships are rigged sailing vessels crewed by youth ages 13 to 25 enrolled in Sail Training programs operated by Tall Ships America. This year’s challenge race starts in Savannah finishing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Last September Kenny Hill of the Savannah Riverfront Association told a group of local small businesses, “We’ve all seen the old photos and drawings of the Savannah riverfront with tall ships along the wharves on both sides of the river. For four days, Savannah will be transformed back to the maritime community it was when we started.” That sight, indeed, will “shiver me timbers.”